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LIFESTYLE

In the Kitchen with Terry Paulding

Terry Paulding
Guest Author
August 2007

On a hot summer’s day, a cool salad may be all the dinner you need, and it has the added advantage of portability in case you want to sit on a park bench and enjoy the evening al fresco. Keeping the flavors vibrant, and pairing the salad with good wine and a crusty baguette, make this simple meal all the more pleasurable. Often times, you don’t need to break the budget for ingredients, or for the wine, for that matter. There are bargains to be found, if you know what to look for.

My recipe for curried chicken salad has a few steps, but doesn’t need any ingredients that you can’t find in a regular grocery store. Store-bought curry powder will do fine. If you happen to find some garam masala, a warm blend of spices typically added to Indian dishes at the end of cooking, do buy some. If not—don’t worry, the dish is fine without. Also, buy a good additive-free whole milk yogurt (I love Brown Cow un-homogenized, which has a creamy top layer that you can use or not, as you like). Get used to reading labels, and choosing products with the simplest, most comprehensible ingredient list.

You can make the dish with any leftover chicken you have, or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery; if you cook the chicken in order to make the salad, try simply poaching some boneless, skinless thighs—they don’t take long, and they have great flavor. Just boil enough water to cover them when they put in the pot (remember, the pieces displace water; you don’t need gallons!), add the pieces with a little salt, and either simmer very gently for about 10 minutes, until the juices run clear when you prick the pieces, or alternatively, bring the pot back to a simmer then turn off the flame and cover it—you’ll have perfectly cooked chicken in 15 minutes, and mild broth to save, as well. If you use boneless skinless chicken breasts, it’s especially important to use this method to avoid drying out the breast meat.

The chicken salad can just be mounded on some butter lettuce leaves and garnished as you like, but I always love to add some cucumber slices (try the Armenian or Lemon varieties currently available at farmers markets), some radishes, and this time of year some good tomatoes, also from the farmers market if possible—tomatoes that have ripened on the vine and are full of flavor.

As for the wine pairing, I asked my neighbor, wine expert and winery owner Brendan Eliason for some suggestions. His Periscope Cellars winery is the best (and only) winery in Emeryville; the tasting room is open every Saturday from 11-5, and he is just bottling a light, crisp 2006 Sonoma county rose that he’s putting into cute (and novel) individual serving size bottles with bottle caps and straws ($5), perfect for al fresco dining, whether it’s on your own patio or in the park.

Curried Chicken Salad

Yield: 6 servings

• 3 cups boneless cooked chicken (see notes in article)

• 3/4 cup each, carrots, green beans and celery

• 1 apple or mango, grapes or other fruit of your choice

a little lemon juice (to keep the apple from browning)

• 1 head butter or curly-leafed lettuce garnishes (diced cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes)

For the sauce:

1 medium yellow onion

3 large cloves garlic

1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger root

1 1/2 Tbs. curry powder

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups yogurt, divided

1/4 tsp. or to taste cayenne pepper

2 tsp. garam masala (optional, available at Indian groceries)

salt to taste

3 Tbs. mayonnaise (optional; for more creamy salad)

Dice chicken. Clean vegetables, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, keeping each separate from the other. Peel (or not, as you desire) and dice apple, toss with a little lemon juice to keep from browning; for other fruit.

Cut onion, garlic and peeled ginger into medium dice and place in blender. Add 2 tablespoons water (or chicken poaching broth), just enough to allow mixture to blend to a smooth paste. Add curry powder, continue to blend for a few more seconds to mix.

Heat oil in heavy medium-sized frying pan. When hot, but not smoking, add the paste from the blender, being careful to avert eyes in case of splattering. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to dry out and darken slightly.

Add half the yogurt, stirring to blend in. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the carrots and 1/2 tsp. salt, and continue to cook for another 3 minutes, stirring and adding a little water again, if necessary, to keep from sticking. Add the green beans, continue to cook for 3-5 more minutes, until beans are crisp-tender. Add the cayenne pepper to taste and the garam masala, if you have it. Mixture should be strong, and a little salty. Transfer to a large bowl, big enough to mix all ingredients in.

Let cool to room temperature, then add the remaining yogurt, and if using, the mayonnaise. Mix dressing until mayonnaise lumps dissolve. Taste for salt and spiciness. You can add more cayenne, and a little salt, if needed. Add the chicken, celery and fruit, and mix to coat with the sauce. Heap over lettuce to serve, garnishing as desired

Terry Paulding is President of Paulding & Company, a Creative Kitchen, 1410 D 62nd Street in Emeryville. Please be sure to visit her website at www.pauldingandco.com. You can sign up for her monthly e-mail newsletter with food news and recipes.